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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $280.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Sharp. Very sharp. Good colorrending.

Cons:

Extends

This is a very sharp and well build lens.
Hunts a little on Nikon D200, but works perfect on D300 and D700. Recomended.
A little gem on Nikon. No need for upgrade to the newer version. If you don´t need the OS of cource. This one is proberly sharper. (?)

Cliff Beard

Registered: May 2009Posts: 12

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by Cliff Beard

Review Date: 9/28/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

Image quality, compact, lightweight

Cons:

extending barrel, slow and hunting on AF

This was my first macro lens and I still kept it after buying the 150mm as it has a lot to offer.

Ultimately the bigger lens may just have the edge on image quality but this is sharp and capable of great results. I kept it because the 105 is actually easier to use as its effective depth of field is greater (sharpness rolloff from focal plane is less severe), making focus easier and its compact and lightweight form makes it ideal to carry around all day or when travelling. I have shot some great macros abroad for this reason.

For bugs its a great reach, being a good compromise between working distance, size and the dangers of camera shake owing to effective focal length at typical shutter speeds.

It works well with extension tubes, as its weight doesn't strain the mounts.

The barrel extends, which means there is probably more possibility of mechanical wear over time and it looks a bit ungainly...a side effect is that its easy to rest it on a prop or your hand.

Fab little lens and a great intoduction to macro with reasonable price and ease of use. I would recommend it over the 150mm for a beginner as its easier to get good results.

Ylenh

Registered: September 2009Posts: 3

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by Ylenh

Review Date: 9/11/2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $560.80| Rating: 10

Pros:

Amazing image quality

Cons:

Non

Despite the fact that I have to focus manually because my camara's body hasn't got motor to focus, I think if I had the option I wouldn´t use it because in macro you have to focus manually.

The quality of the images are amazing. I love the blur at the background, It´s lovely. It's very sharp and has nice colours...

I have two co-workers that have this lens (one Canon and one Nikon) and they both love the lens. Takes good portraits too.

-Roy

epj1906

Registered: October 2005Posts: 2

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by epj1906

Review Date: 8/1/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $378.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

IQ, Tack sharp, good build quality, cost

Cons:

Slow AF, need to use manual/AF ring

I just purchased this lens and found it to my liking. For its intended purpose (macro) it really shines.

I found it to be the sharpest of the current crop of lenses I use. A quality lens to add to your collection indeed.

rainerknappe

Registered: May 2007Posts: 24

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by rainerknappe

Review Date: 5/15/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $370.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

sharp, exact colours, nice bokeh, good price and quality

Cons:

AF - but no problem, because good macro-fotografers don´t use it!

A very popular lens! No wonder at all... the price-quality is top.
But in this class they are fighting very hard - Tamron DI 90, Canon 100, Tokina 100 - very strong class!
I decided this one - I love the EX-finish at my Canon 20Da - the Canon 100 was a bit too heavy and expensive, the Tamron I am using with my Pentax K 10 and the Tokina were only to buy with Nikon-mount. So now I own the whole family - Sigma 50, 70, 105 and my "bulldog" 150!
The best of them is the new 70mm - really outstanding picturequality, but the rest are very close - highly recommended!

jdf

Registered: January 2007Posts: 8

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by jdf

Review Date: 1/15/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $452.00| Rating: 7

Pros:

Good Image quality

Cons:

Slow AF

Having used this lens a lot, all i can say its that the lens element are great, and give you excellent image quality even wide open it's good, and become very good to excelent once you stop it down a little. AS macro lens i usually stop it until f13, getting very good results. The color out of it is good, very saturated, but it may be some underexposure it provoques. The AF is very very slow, especially at macro mode 1:1, and it's noisy!

I would recommend it as an alternative but only if have to.

cvizler

Registered: January 2007Posts: 10

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by cvizler

Review Date: 1/8/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $550.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Very high picture quality

Cons:

Slow and noisy autofocus

Optical quality: Very good wide open, excellent by F4, from F5.6 seems to have higher resolution than the 6 Mp CCD of Nikon D50. The colour rendition is neutral, or slightly (pleasantly) warm. It is not prone to flare and ghosting.

Mechanical quality: The build quality is quite good. The autofocus is slow and noisy. Manual focusing is quite pleasnant to use, better than most AF lenses I have tried.

wishbone

Registered: January 2007Posts: 6

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by wishbone

Review Date: 1/6/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $400.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

sharp!, good constrast

Cons:

SLOW and loud AF, AF hunts

I use this lens more for its macro feature than for portraits but when I use it for portraits, it is so sharp that you can see pores on skins.

I'm glad I bought this lens instead of the Nikon version even though I do not use this often. It takes excellent sharp and contrast photos of close-up subjects. It is much cheaper than the Nikon version, although the new VR version looks nice too. However, when you are using macro mode, you should be using a tripod anyway.

My complaint is the AF is very slow, loud, and hunts. Sometimes it's better to just use manual focus or continuous focus if the subject is moving around.

_Mike_D

Registered: December 2006Posts: 12

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by _Mike_D

Review Date: 1/1/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $350.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Sharp, vivid images, good build quality

Cons:

a little too tele for my taste

I initially bought this lens for macro work, but because of the great image quality, I ended up using it for everything that I could.

I never understood the "dual focus" mechanism, but it didn't get in the way too much.

overall I would say this is about the best lens you can get for the money.

My only complaint is that I found myself wishing it were a little more wide angle.

gadgetguy

Registered: May 2006Posts: 62

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by gadgetguy

Review Date: 12/31/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

superb image and build quality

Cons:

slow AF *but see below

I am a fan of Sigma's EX series lenses - superb build and IQ, and when equipped with HSM, fast, silent and accurate. Of all the thrid-party lens manufacturers, I think Sigma ranks up there.

AF for this lens is slow as all "true" macros are - and mostly due to the extended (and accurate short distance) focus range. Macro afficionados are used to this and won't mind. Casual users might.

Zinger

Registered: October 2005Posts: 8

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by Zinger

Review Date: 12/23/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $380.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Image quality

Cons:

Extending barrel

I have to question some of the reviewers who dramatically state that the AF is "sooooo" slow. Did you make sure the limit switch was activated and that the clutch was disengaged from MF?

I have several USM and HSM lenses, and while this AF isn't as fast or quiet, I still think it is perfectly acceptable. Besides, how many people actually use AF for Macro? That's just asking for trouble.

Anyway, this is a nearly perfect optical lens. That, coupled with a price that is about 25-30% less than the Canon equivalent was enough to sway my purchasing decision.

It is a bit ugly when extended out all the way, but not that big of a deal. If you think you're going to squash a bug with it as it extends, then you *really* need to re-think your hobby/profession, because your technique is terrible.

Overall *highly* recommended.

Solutionsetcetera

Registered: November 2006Posts: 5

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by Solutionsetcetera

Review Date: 12/22/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $420.00| Rating: 8

Optically... you would be hard pressed to do better than this lens at any price. It is fast, tack sharp, and just probably the best lens I have put on either my digital or film bodies. Couple that with its $400 street price, excellent build quality, and a 4 year warranty and you have a tremendous value in both a fast tele prime and 1:1 macro with excellent working distance.

It is not without its faults as the focus ring clutch is a little clumsy and I am still trying to get used to Sigma's EX finish, but it is a top notch performer.

That's it as I simply have nothing bad to say about this lens. Yes HSM would be an improvement, but you could spend significantly more and not get the optical quality that this lens offers!

sy43165

Registered: December 2006Posts: 1

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by sy43165

Review Date: 12/21/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $400.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Sharpness, contrast

Cons:

Slow noisy auto-focus

I've used this lens on a Nikon D70 and D200. I only use this for macro work and for that it is great since I usually focus manually. One thing that I was not aware of before I bought a macro lens is the lens manufacturers list the close focusing distance from the focal plane not the front element. Add to that the lens hood, the recessed front element and the long extension for macro work and this means that, at 1:1 magnification, the front of the lens hood is ~3-4" away from the subject. Having said that, I love the results I get with it.

Muiderburght

Registered: December 2006Posts: 13

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by Muiderburght

Review Date: 12/2/2006

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: $459.00| Rating: 6

Pros:

Cons:

noisy; extends as much as it is long already; slow AF

I compared this lens to the Canon 100/f2.8 in the store. I was really prepared to buy a non Canon lens. But then I got it in my hand on a 30D body... :-(
AF was sooo slooow. Often, it didnt focus right at all. Although, for the noise it was making, it seemed to work really hard. What set me off the most, was that it extends as much as it is long already: nice bug, oops, I squashed the bug. All these shortcomings could have been compensated by good sharpness, if the lens had been dirtcheap. But it wasn't. So I saw no reason at all to even consider it.
Then the 100/f2.8. AF could be faster but still much faster than the Sigma. Internal focus, nice. USM, sssssweet. Like I said, why even consider this lens???
I gave image quality an 8 based on the input from other reviewers. Still I hope, this review was useful to you.

julioalperi

Registered: November 2006Posts: 15

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by julioalperi

Review Date: 11/20/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $424.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Resolution,distortions,vignetting,CAs,bokeh.

Cons:

None.

This is an excellent lens. Resolution is excellent from F:2,8 at center and borders, distortion is really low, no visible. Vigneting is low at F:2,8 but disappears at larger apertures. Nice bokeh. CAs are exceptionlly low. Contruction quality is very good. The limit switch feels a little weak.

jeans

Registered: November 2006Posts: 15

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by jeans

Review Date: 11/17/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $500.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

IQ, 1:1 life size, f/2.8

Cons:

Hate to switch the A/F on/off

Pros:
Image quality is exceptional - sharpness, color and contrast are great
In my opinion 105mm is a sweet spot of the macro lenses - gives you *some* working distance, but is still handholdable unlike 200mm lenses
Much cheaper than the Nikkor version (well, it's not AF-S VR either)
Being a dedicated macro lens it goes down to 1:1 life size (or even greater on the DX-format sensors)

Cons:
A/F is very slow with my D70, but then who needs A/F in a macro lens
Changing focus from A/F to M/F and vice versa requires you to changes it on the camera body *and* on the lens
It's easy to switch the lens's AF mode when taking it out of the bag
The build quality isn't great - the plastic gets scratched easily

Summary:
Great lens for the money. Its only alternative (price wise) is the great Tamron 90mm SP Di.

Powerdoc

Registered: February 2006Posts: 7

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by Powerdoc

Review Date: 2/16/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $450.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Optical quality

Cons:

Slow and noisy AF

This lens is very sharp, well build. It only lack USM.

cazza132

Registered: January 2006Posts: 2

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by cazza132

Review Date: 1/9/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $780.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Sharp - good optical performance

Cons:

Image sharpness limited by camera pixel density - sharp as. I'm using this with an eos 350D. I'm very happy with this lens. I'd challenge this site to review it in comparison to the Canon 100/2.8 macro.